Paintings from the Pre-historic era
 Paintings found inside the caves
 Way of Communicating
 Religious/Ceremonial Purposes
 Animals that correct in proportion
Paintings from the Ancient Egypt
 Emphasizes the importance of life after death
 Most paintings were highly stylized, symbolic
and showed profile view of an animal or a
person
 Main colors were red, black, blue, gold and
green
 To make deceased afterlife pleasant
Paintings from Classical Greek era
 Most paintings were commonly found in vases,
panels and tombs
 Methods of Greek painting: Vase painting, Panel
painting, Tomb/wall painting
 Fresco is water-based pigments
 Encaustic is hot wax and pigments (colors)
 Most of the subjects were battle scenes,
mythological figures, and everyday scenes.
Vase Paintings
Kerch Vases are red, figured pottery named after the
place where it was found.
Polycromy is a combination of different colors especially
the brilliant ones
Shapes were commonly found are:
 Pelike (wine container)
 Lekanis (a low bowl with two horizontal handles
and a low broad foot)
 Lebes gamikos (with high handles and lid use to
carry bridal bath)
 Krater (bowl use for mixing wine and water)
Panel Painting (Pitsa Panel)
 Flat panels of wood
 Small, single-pieced or several panels
Tomb Painting (Tomb of the Diver)
 Fresco (water)
 Tempera (egg yolk)
 Encaustic (hot wax)
Paintings from the Roman era
 Most of the paintings were copied or imitated
from Hellenic Greek paintings.
 Paintings have a wide variety of subjects,
animals, everyday life, still life, mythological
subjects, portraits, and landscapes.
 Fresco Technique was used in brightly colored
backgrounds.
MOSAIC- It is an art process where an image is
created using an assemblage of small pieces of
colored glass, stones or other materials. Ex.
Head of Alexander
Byzantine Painting
 Subject of the paintings were most commonly
Christian subjects
Romanesque Painting
 These are largely placed mosaics on the walls of
the churches that follow a strict frontal pose.
 Techniques of mural painting are: Fresco,
distemper, wax painting and fresco al secro.
 Wall of churches
 Largely placed Mosaic
 Elongated oval faces
Gothic Painting
 Paintings have been confined in the illumination
of manuscript pages and painting of frescoes on
the walls of churches in cosmopolitan style,
elegant manner, and sophistication.
 Stained Glass Windows
 Subjects usually depict popular legends and
love stories
 The paintings show some realistic details and
naïve naturalism
Music of the Medieval Period (700-1400)
 known as Middle Ages or “Dark Ages” (fall of
the Roman Empire)
 Monophonic plainchant - named after Pope
Gregory I, who made this the approved music of
the Catholic Church
Characteristics of the Gregorian Chants:
Monophonic
Free meter Modal
Usually based on Latin liturgy
Use of Neume notation
Troubadours - group musicians across Europe
Troubadour Music:
Usually monophonic
sometimes with improvised accompaniment
Tells of chivalry and courtly love
Originated in France
Written in the French language
Adam de la Halle
 one of the oldest secular composers
 trouvére, poet and musician whose literary and
musical works include chansons (French songs)
and poetic debate
 His “Jeu de Robin et Marion” was considered
the earliest surviving secular French play with
music
Renaissance Period (1400-1600)
 Comes from the word renaitre which means
rebirth, revival and rediscovery
 period of “looking back” to the Golden Age of
Greece and Rome
 the “golden age” of acapella choral music.
 Lute was the prominent instrument of the
renaissance era.
Characteristic of Renaissance Period
Mostly Polyphonic
Imitation among the voices is common
Use of word painting in texts and music
Melodic lines move in a flowing manner
Melodies are easier to perform because these
move along a scale with a few large leaps
Vocal Music of the Renaissance
1. Mass – Sacred Musical
2. Madrigal – Secular Vocal
Famous Composers in Renaissance Period
 Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
 greatest master of Roman Catholic Church
music
 sacred music
 Pope Marcellus Mass
 Thomas Morley
 most famous composer of secular music in his
time
 one of the foremost members of the English
Madrigal School.
 Fire, Fire, My Heart (A madrigal composition)
Music of Baroque Period (1685-1750)
 “Baroque” is derived from the Portuguese
word “barroco” which means ―pearl of
irregular shape.
Music Genre
 Concerto
- A form of orchestral music that employs a
solo instrument accompanied by an
orchestra
 Concerto Grosso
- music is between a small group of solo
instruments called concertino and the
whole orchestra called tutti.
 Fugue
- a contrapuntal piece, developed mainly by
imitative counterpoint
 Oratorio
- a large-scale musical composition for
orchestra and voices that incorporates
narratives on religious themes
 Chorale
- a musical composition that resemble a
harmonized version of hymnal tunes of the
Protestant Church
Characteristic of Baroque Period
 Melodies sound elaborate and ornamental
 Melodies are not easy to sing or remember
  Dynamic contrast – alternation between loud
and soft
Famous Composers of Baroque Period
 Johann Sebastian Bach
- His personal and deep faith is shown in his
sacred music
- Concerto Grosso, Masses, Cantatas, Fugues
 Antonio Vivaldi
- The Red Priest
- Catholic priest and a virtuoso violinist
- one of the greatest Baroque composers
- The Four Seasons.
 George Friedrich Händel
- became England’s favorite composer
- operas and oratorios
- Messiah-”Hallelujah” chorus most famous
creation (first performed and became an
instant success)